Over the next month Berrison will be speaking to experts from the field of sustainability. This isn’t because we have all the answers, quite the reverse we don’t and we know there are plenty of other people in companies, not just the leaders, who are challenged with this thought too, and other questions such as:
- What can I do within my working role/environment?
- How do I know if I am doing the right thing?
- Can someone tell me how I find out the best working practices for the planet, before I spend the winter working from home with the heating on?
- The financial incentives to buy an electric car make sense, but I am not hearing the argument for maintaining older cars for longer, what is the answer? (Full disclosure, I drive an old car).
It’s safe to say that the consensus among most people is that it is human activity harming the world, yet I feel so powerless. I want to do the right thing, what if I give up my car? I will not be able to do my job as it stands, so do I move town, uproot my family? Find a different job? Invent a yet unknown version of hybrid working that fits my role? Part of the sense of powerlessness is created because we have become dependent on lifestyles and work practices that we think are impossible to give up.
We Know it Starts with Us
What level of personal sacrifice should we all be prepared to make? But I hear you saying, “it’s not all of us making sacrifices”, that is true, nevertheless you and I aren’t bothered about that…. right! Perhaps we need to stop worrying about whether everyone is doing their bit and focus on the things in our control. Lets start with ourselves, our jobs, our families, etc. We at Berrison are planning to ask about the realities of meaningful activity and behaviour change that are possible for us all.
Thinking About What I Could Do
Earlier this year I heard Mike Berners-Lee speak (Author of ‘There is NO Planet B’ and ‘How bad are Bananas’). One of the many things Mike said that stuck with me was that: “Any organisation motivated by profit will ultimately do more harm to the planet and then fail.” I couldn’t agree more, and it is good to see big international organisations launching their Zero carbon targets and sustainability programs. However, the question remains outside of direct business activity, what can we be doing that helps rather than just pays lip-service to helping. And finally, I suspect the sense of helplessness comes from the fact that this is a Global issue, and I am just so small, what can I really do? I personally look forward to finding out the answers to the questions I have just discussed, and I will leave you with the final words I heard from Mike Berners-Lee; “IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN?”
Created by Stuart Mander.
